Farewell, Jeeves: Ask.com shuts down

再见，吉夫斯：Ask.com 正式关停

Ask.com, the search engine and question-and-answer service formerly known as Ask Jeeves, has shut down. Ask Jeeves first launched in 1996 and, with its focus on answering conversational questions posed in natural language, was arguably a precursor to today’s AI-powered chatbots. Ask.com（前身为 Ask Jeeves）这一搜索引擎及问答服务平台现已正式关停。Ask Jeeves 于 1996 年首次推出，它专注于回答以自然语言提出的对话式问题，可以说是当今人工智能聊天机器人的先驱。

For most of its 30-year history, however, it’s been overshadowed by other search products, especially Google. Holding company IAC acquired Ask Jeeves in 2005, quickly dropped “Jeeves” from the name, and by 2010 had scaled back its search product to refocus on Q&A. 然而，在其 30 年的发展历程中，它大部分时间都笼罩在其他搜索产品的阴影之下，尤其是谷歌（Google）。控股公司 IAC 在 2005 年收购了 Ask Jeeves，很快便去掉了名称中的“Jeeves”，并于 2010 年缩减了搜索业务，转而重新专注于问答服务。

That same year, IAC Chairman Barry Diller said at TechCrunch Disrupt that Ask.com was not competitive with Google and was not valued in IAC’s stock. 同年，IAC 董事长巴里·迪勒（Barry Diller）在 TechCrunch Disrupt 大会上表示，Ask.com 无法与谷歌竞争，且在 IAC 的股票价值中并未得到体现。

A message on the Ask.com website currently reads, “As IAC continues to sharpen its focus, we have made the decision to discontinue our search business, which includes Ask.com. After 25 years of answering the world’s questions, Ask.com officially closed on May 1, 2026.” Nonetheless, the website insists, “Jeeves’ spirit endures.” 目前 Ask.com 网站上显示的一则消息写道：“随着 IAC 继续精简业务重心，我们已决定停止搜索业务，其中包括 Ask.com。在回答了世界 25 年的问题后，Ask.com 已于 2026 年 5 月 1 日正式关闭。”尽管如此，网站仍坚称：“吉夫斯的精神永存。”